Electric railway.



v .PATENTED APR. 9, 1907. W. B. POTTER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY. APPLIOATION FILED 8321. 24. 1902 Witnesses "it unlkl; PITIRS co., wullnlarnl, n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. POTTER, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 9, 1907.

Application filed September 24:, 1902. Serial 110- 124,634.

To all whom'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. POTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Im rovements in Electric Railways, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention'relates to improvements in electric railways operated bythe well-known closed-conduit or surface-contact system, wherein theworking conductor consists of normally deenergized sections which areconnected with the line or the feeder successively as the car proceeds.These conductor-sections, which may be either rails or small studslocated in the road-bed, are adapted to be connected with the feeder byelectromagnetic switches located along the Way, the actuating-coils ofwhich are successively energized as the car proceeds by CllI'I'6I1tflowing from the feeder through one of the electromagnetic switcheswhich has already been closed. To obtain the initial current to startthe car, the. actuating-coil of an electromagnetic switch is energizedby an auxiliary source of power, such as a battery carried by the car.

The object of my invention is to so arrange the circuits-such as themotor, heating, and lighting circuits-on the car relative to theauxiliary source of power that the said auxiliary source of power may beused for various purposes other than picking up the electromagneticswitches initially.

A further object is to provide for recharging the auxiliary source ofpower with all or any desired part of the current flowing through themotor and heater circuits.

My invention consists of improvements in the car-circuits of the systemshown and described in my Patent 589,786, issued September 7, 1897, aswill be' clearly pointed out in the following specification andspecifically stated in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawing represents diagrammatically a surface-contactelectricrailway system, such as is shown and described in the patentabove referred to, embodying my invention.

Referrin now to the figure, A A, &c., represent e ectromagnetic switchesof a surface-contact railway which are ada tedto connect the positivecontact-studs C C 860., with the feeder F, connected with the generatorG. The negative contact-studs D D, &c., are connected to thereturn-circuit (shown in the diagram as the service rails R) through theactuating-coils of the electromagnetic switches A and A. Thecontact-shoes B and B, carried by the car, are adapted to engage,respectively, with the rows of positive and negative contactstuds.

The .car equipment comprises a motorvor motors, such as M, astorage-battery or auxiliary source of power E, heater or heaters H, acontroller K, and a lighting-circuit L. The cylinder of the controller Kis shown in development, as is customary in illustrating railwaymotor-controllers of this type, The fixed contacts of the controller arerepresented by 1 to 10, inclusive, and the movable contacts or segmentsmounted on the rotatable drum or cylinder of the controller are'represented by 1 to 10 inclusive, and 7 The arrangement of the circuitsshown provides means for charging the storage battery E with the fullcurrent taken by the motor or motors or by such portion of said currentas may be found necessary to replace energy required for initiallyenergizing the actuatin -coils to pickup the switches and to light t ecar.

When it is desired to start the car and the electromagnetic switches AA, &c., are all open, the controller K is moved into its first operativeposition and a circuit is completed from the auxiliary source of powercarried by the car through the actuating-coil of one or more of theelectromagnetic switches, thereby picking up said switch or switches.This circuit may be traced as follows: from the storage batteryE throughthe conductor 17, switch S fixed contact-finger 9'of the controller K,contact-segments 9 and 10,fixed contact-finger l0, conductor 12,contactshoe B, contact-stud D, through the actuating-coil of theelectromagnetic switch A, service-rails R, through thecar-wheel w,contact-finger 6 of the controller K, contactsegments 6 and 7contact-finger 7, conductor 16, to the other side of the battery E. Thecircuit from the feeder F through the car-motors, which is completedupon the closing of one of the electromagnetic switches, may be tracedas follows: through the switch A, surface contact-stud C, contactshoe B,conductors 11. and 14, contact-finger 1 of controller K,contact-segments 1 and 2,

contact-finger 2, resistance R, through the motor M, battery E,conductor 16, contactfinger 7 of the controller K, the contact-segments7 a and 6 contact-finger 6, to the service-rail return R, through thecar-wheel 'w. A branch circuit leads from the motor-circuit just tracedat 20 and conducts current through the conductor 17, switch 5",contact-fingers 9 and 10 of controller K, through the actuating-coil ofswitch A, to return It, as above described. Consequently a portion ofthe current taken by the motors serves to re charge the storage batteryand another portion of the current operates to maintain the switch Aclosed.

In moving from the first to the second position of the controller K thebattery is connected in series with the pick-up coils of theelectromagnetic switches instead of being connected directly to thereturn through the car-wheel w, as in the first position of thecontroller. When changing the battery connections from those shown ascorresponding to the first position of the controller to those shown ascorresponding to the second position of the controller, there is greatliability of shortcircuiting the battery. The resistance R which is cutinto the battery-circuit by means of the contacts 8 and 8 of thecontroller K, is provided for the purpose of preventing such a shortcircuit.

In the second and subsequent operative positions of. the controller thestorage battery receives the full current taken by the m0 tors, as alsodoes the actuating-coil of the electromagnetic switch. Should it bedesired to regulate the charge of the battery by closing the switch Sand adjusting the re sistance R, the battery will be shunted of anypredetermined portion of the current.

The arrangement of circuits shown on the drawing also provides forconnecting the heaters H in series with the storage battery or in shuntthereto, depending upon whether or not the additional current passingthrough the heaters is required to maintain the charge of the battery.This is accomplished by means of the switches S and S which are adaptedto connect the heater H to the positive contact-shoe B through theconductors 11 and 15 and to the connection between the motor M and thebattery E when in the positions shown in the diagram. By throwing theswitch S into register with the contact 17 the heater is connected inshunt to the car .motor and in series with the actuating-coils switch S,so that the lamps in said. circuit will be maintained at approximatelytheir full candle-power independent of the operation of theelectromagneticswitches, which necessarily will be dropped. when thecontroller K is moved to its off position and the car stopped. As thecontroller is moved from its first to its fourth operative position theresistance R in the motor circuit is gradually cut out.

The arrangement of circuits shown on the diagram and described herein ismerely a preferred form and many modifications within the spirit andscope of my invention will readily suggest themselves to persons skilledin the art to which this invention pertains.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. In an electric railway, the combination with a feeder, ofconductor-sections, electro magnetic switches for connecting the feederto the conductor sections, an auxiliary source of power carried by thecar, a motor or motors, means for completing a circuit through saidauxiliary source and said switchcoils to initially energize the latter,means for connecting said auxiliary source of power in series with saidmotor or motors and said switch-actuating coils, and an adjustableresistance in shunt to the auxiliary source of power whereby the rate ofrecharge of the said auxiliary source of power may be varied as desired.

2. In combination, a main source of ower, an auxiliary source of power,transating devices, means for connecting said auxiliary source and oneof said translating devices in series with each other to said mainsource of ower, and means for connecting another of said translatingdevices to said main source of power either in shunt or in series withsaid auxiliary source of power.

3. In an electric railway, the combination with a feeder, ofconductor-sections, switches for connecting the feeder to theconductorsections, motors and an auxiliary source of power carried bythe car, and a cont-roller for completing a circuit through saidauxiliary source and actuating-coils for said switch to initiallyenergize the latter and for connecting said auxiliary source in serieswith said motors and said coils.

4. In a sectional-conductor electricrail way system, electromagneticswitches for connecting the feeder with the sectional conductor,car-motors, an auxiliary source of power carried by the car, and acontrollingswitch adapted when in one position to connect the auxiliarysource to the actuating coils of the switches and when in anotherposition to connect the motors and auxiliary source of power and theswitch-actuating coils in series.

5. In combination, a main source of power, an auxiliary source of power,a translating said connections are being changed.

source, a controller device adapted to be energized from either source,a controller so constructed and arsa1d translating device power, acontroller adapted when in one position to complete a circuit throughthe auxiliary source of power and the actuating-coils source of ower,connected in shunt to said auxiliary source of power whereby the rate ofrecharge of the latter may be varied.

In combination, a main source of power, auxiliary source of power andthe switch-acan auxiliary source of power, l in series with each otherbedevice adapted to be energized from either I tween the feeder and thereturn.

so constructed and ar- In a sectional-conductor electric-rail saidtranslating device way system, electromagnetic switches for connectingthe feeder with the sectional conductor, a car-motor, an auxiliarysource of a controller adapted when in one posource, and means forpreventing said auxiliary source from being short-circuited while ofpower and the actuating-coils of the electromagnetic switches to closesaid switches and when said switches are closed to connect the auxiliarysource of power and the actuating-coils of said switches in shunt toeach other and in series with the car-motor between the feeder and thereturn, and when 7. In combination, a main source of power, an auxiliarysource power, a translating device adapted to be energized from eithersource, a resistance, and a controller so confor preventing saidauxlliary source of power from being short-c1rcu1ted when thecontrolfrom one of sald positlons to the 8. In a sectional-conductorelectric-railway system, electromagnetic switches for connecting thefeeder with the sectional con ductor, car-motors, an auxiliary source ofpower carried by the car, a controller adapted when in one position toconnect the auxiliary source to the actuatingcoils ofthe switches nectedin shunt to said auxiliary source of and when in another position toconnect the power whereby the whole or any desired part motors, theauxiliary source of power and the of t e current taken by saidtranslating devices may pass through said auxiliary source of power tovar r the rate of recharge of the latter.

In witness whereof I have hereunto hand this 22d day of Se tember, 1902.

WILLIAM B. POTTER.

, ower, an auxiliary power, transating devices, a controller forconnecting said auxil ary source of ower to said main source of powerthrough t 1e translating devices and an adjustabl eresistance adapted tobe confor preventing said auxiliary source from being short-circuited wle the controller is passing from one of said positions to the other.

9. In a sectional-conductor electric-rail- Way system, connecting thefeeder'with the sectional conductor, a car-motor, an auxiliary source ofset my Witnesses:

GEORGE DE ,3. GREENE, HELEN ORFORD.

